1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to devices for closing wounds and, more particularly, to devices for replacing stitches and staples for closing wounds.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The most widely used method for closing skin wounds are passing a suture through the skin to approximate the edges of the skin and hold the skin stitched in place for healing. Suturing or stitching has the advantage of allowing the physician to adjust tension and, therefore, approximation on a stitch by stitch basis but also has the disadvantages of being labor intensive, time consuming, requiring manual dexterity on the part of the physician in order to close the wound in such a manner as to minimize scarring and also requiring removal of the stitches, usually necessitating an additional visit to the physician.
In order to reduce the time and labor required for suturing, many physicians use staples; however, staples have the disadvantages of requiring special equipment, of requiring removal and being difficult to remove, of requiring a special instrument for removal and, most importantly, depriving the physician of the adjustable approximation and tension obtained from suturing.
Other devices for closing wounds are disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,836 to Niebel, et al discloses a surgical strip stitch wherein an inverted U-shaped member has flexible adhesive strips attached on the extremities thereof for attachment to the skin on either side of a wound bridged by the U-shaped member. Skin-engaging projections extend inwardly from each side wall of the U-shaped member and have blunt end portions adapted to clamp the edges of a wound together in a peak therebetween. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,526,173 and 4,702,251 to Sheehan disclose skin closure devices formed of a pair of attachment members adapted to be positioned along either side of a wound to be closed. In one embodiment, the device includes a plurality of pins associated with the attachment members for the purpose of urging the dermis on either side of the wound together. In another embodiment, a bridge is provided to hold the two attachment members in abutting alignment to close a wound. U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,990 to Stivala discloses a sutureless closure system having fabric-backed plates positioned along the side edges of a wound. Arcuate shaped clips bridge the wound between the plates and contain downwardly extending pins at each end to penetrate the fabric, not the skin, to form a secure anchor for the bridge.
The prior art attempts to produce wound closing substitutes for conventional suturing, as discussed above, thus have reduce the time and labor required to close a wound but have failed to produce the precision skin approximation necessary to minimize scarring. Other disadvantages of the prior art include high cost, difficult removal, requirement of complex devices and concomitant difficult application and not being easily usable in emergencies.